Yes, we believe the COVID-19 vaccines are safe
There are a variety of COVID-19 vaccines and they are all safe. They have been approved by Health Canada and similar institutions in other countries around the world. The vaccines have been put through rigorous testing. The test data goes back about a year at most so, if they are any long-term effects, they are not known.
Health Canada will monitor the safety of the vaccines and their effectiveness into the future.
Some vaccines only have to be administered once. Others require two dosages 3-4 months apart. Some vaccines are more effective on older persons and some are more effective on the new strains of COVID-19 that have appeared and will appear. Some vaccines, if not all, will require a booster every year or so.
You may not have a choice of which vaccine you will be given.
If you are in doubt about receiving a vaccine or which vaccine you are to receive, speak to your doctor.
The speed of the development of COVID-19 vaccines has caused concern for some people because most of us are used to hearing that vaccines, cures, and other medical developments take years. These vaccines were developed rapidly thanks to:
Fast-tracking the vaccine approval process. The COVID-19 pandemic took priority over everything else.
Quick adaptation of existing research programs such as those focusing on mRNA- and viral-vector-based technology.
International collaboration among scientists, health professionals, researchers, industry, and governments.
Quick recruitment of participants for clinical trials.
Rapid set-up of clinical trials to demonstrate effectiveness of the vaccine.
The following chart provides common myths vs. facts about the COVID-19 vaccine
